A Birmingham Labour politician has asked for her name to be removed from a list of more than 500 local councillors calling on the party’s controversial leader Jeremy Corbyn to resign.

Cllr Sharon Thompson, who represents the Soho ward, has tweeted the Labourlist website saying she did not sign the letter and asked to be removed from the article.

In fact she signed a rival letter backing Corbyn's leadership.

Mr Corbyn, who was elected Labour leader last summer is coming under increasing pressure to resign after losing the support of three-quarters of Labour MPs in the wake of the EU referendum crisis.

Watch below: Tom Watson tells BBC he tried to ask Corbyn to resign

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The letter calling on him to go was apparently signed by another nine councillors from the West Midlands, including David Sparks and Ann Lucas, the former leaders of Dudley and Coventry councils. Birmingham councillors John Cotton (Shard End) and John O’Shea (Acocks Green) also signed.

There are also councillors from neighbouring councils in Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire on the list.

The letter says the councillors cover the range of traditions in the party, including some who voted for Jeremy Corbyn last year.

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It says: “It has now become clear, however, that he is unable to command the confidence of the whole party nor of many traditional Labour supporters we speak with on the doorstep.

“Our country is facing a crisis – and the neighbourhoods we represent are on the front line. We urge Jeremy Corbyn to make way for the new leadership that our communities so desperately need.”

But cllr Thompson says she is not calling for Corbyn to go and did not sign a letter.

She tweeted: “Disappointed to see my name on list for JC to resign. I never authorised this. Remove it please.”

She added: “I am not calling for Jeremy Corbyn to stand down.”

She signed a rival letter backing Corbyn's leadership along with 13 colleagues from the West Midlands.

It states: "Our enemy is not Jeremy Corbyn – it is the Tory party and their plans to use the EU referendum as a fig leaf to inflict further cuts to the councils we represent.

We hope that those MPs who have embarked on this indulgent course of action will reflect on their behaviour and turn their fire on the real enemy, the Tory Party."

Tensions in the Labour Party are riding high following the overwhelming vote of no confidence in Mr Corbyn by MPs who say he cannot win a general election for them. However he won the leadership with the huge support of grass roots members, many of who are rallying round to defend their leader.

* Updated: Turns out cllr Thompson, as a local party official forwarded the email to colleagues and one of them clicked the button to sign but the signature was attributed to her. She says they should have requested typed confirmation.